Poor Edward. For a king, he seems to have a tough time getting anybody to stay on his side. I mean, even Henry seems to have his loyal supporters and he’s the very embodiment of milquetoast. Edward, however, keeps losing allies like Warwick through short-sighted amorous conquests and now has even lost the faith of his own brother, the Duke of Clarence because he was overeager to meet Warwick in battle. I’m not surprised, exactly, but it is funny to watch his power melt away so easily.
Henry had a strange turn of luck, with Warwick liberating him from the Tower of London and then being imprisoned again almost immediately when Edward’s army sneaked back into London in a 15th century version of an episode of Mission: Impossible. Edward proclaimed himself king again, though he is about to fight Warwick and that could really go either way.
Act IV really had a tug-of-war feeling to it, with Edward and Henry both getting yanked back and forth and power being decentralized throughout. Clearly this is leading up to Henry’s final moments since he only has one act left in his reign. And, fittingly, there is sure to be a battle scene here at the end.
Stay tuned for the (hopefully) stunning conclusion to the Henry VI trilogy!
Hey, Shakespeare! 